Two years after their work ended, Commissioners still get paid

BERLIN – Although they left office in 2014, 16 former EU Commissioners from José Manuel Barroso's Commission still receive monthly payments of at least €8,333 each, German weekly newspaper Die Zeit reports.

The original idea behind the payments was to avoid conflicts of interest and to prevent Commissioners from changing into well-paid industry jobs immediately after leaving office. Ironically, many of the Commissioners who according to Die Zeit currently receive "transitional allowance," have long gone back into working in well-paid positions as lobbyists, managers, or in other political offices.

The names on the list, seen by POLITICO, include Karel De Gucht, currently on the supervisory board of steel company ArcelorMittal and telecommunication company Proximus, and Connie Hedegaard, a member of the supervisory board of energy company Danfoss, as well as Ferdinando Nelli Feroci, who served as stand-in Commissioner for around four months in 2014, and Dacian Cioloș, now Prime Minister of Romania.

Paul

Sad Europe! Sad European Commission! Wake-up!!!!

Posted on 11/3/16 | 7:37 AM CET

Maverick

No surprises there. The EU is quite literally from a different planet from the rest of us. As far as I am aware no Govt on this planet provides transitional allowances. They leave office no doubt after signing one form of non disclosure agreement plus an agreement not to be employed in a capacity of conflict of interest for x years and that’s that. Industry does the same. But the EU, no no we needs something different, something expensive, something beneficial to ourselves which we can arrange as the public have no say or influence….in fact why do they need to even know
..ha ha ha

Posted on 11/3/16 | 8:14 AM CET

Andrei

The prime minister of Romania makes 4700 euros a month. Is that a well payed industry job? Or conflict of interest?

Posted on 11/3/16 | 9:06 AM CET

Emma

no wonder the whole Europe is in crisis. They needed “refugees” to come and work for peanuts, destroy social integration of nations, destroy social benefits, make people work more but earn less, raise fear for their future, destroy stability of Europe – only for them to keep their highly paid jobs and paradises outside towns where they do not hang around will refugees. classical strategy for the huge manipulation of business sector – all called globalization and being open since that produces more profit for some, but destroys societies long-term.

Posted on 11/3/16 | 10:57 AM CET

ironworker

“The payments were designed to prevent Commissioners from changing into well-paid industry jobs immediately after leaving office.”

Right, Barroso for instance, went straight to Goldman Sachs. This guy, Julien Ciolos, is the “Trojan Horse” of EPP inserted (means unelected) into Romania.

Posted on 11/3/16 | 1:33 PM CET

Mike

Eurocrats, mercenaries of the corporate world, take lavish pay and enjoy outdated privileges to destroy Europe, its welfare state and to throw the lives of millions of EU citizens into misery. I guess the money and the privileges help them to sleep well at night.

Posted on 11/3/16 | 3:57 PM CET

European Commission IP User

And how exactly the name of Dacian Ciolos (prime-minister of Romania) fits into this article (“…to prevent Commissioners from changing into well-paid industry jobs”)? You should have first checked what is his salary as prime-minsiter…